Gumdrops and Menorahs

Here in the Artsy Family, we have several favorite traditions around this time of year. One of them is making a gumdrop wreath.  I never did this as a kid, but hubby did and he remembers it fondly.  Last year, he suggested making one with Little Crafter, and it was a huge hit.  This year, we learned from experience to buy a smaller wreath and to try hot glue instead of toothpicks {still not foolproof}.
PS – I just noticed the Charmin on the steps…classy, huh?
Are you ready for the oh-so-complicated tutorial? Glue a gumdrop on the wreath form.  Repeat.  Again.  And again.  Until it’s all covered.  Yup, it’s Christmas Crafting Made Easy…even the craft-challenged can tackle this one!
It was the cutest thing, as we were making it, Little Crafter says, “Mommy, Daddy, this is my favorite thing we’ve done to get ready for Cwistmas!”
Hmm…perhaps that had something to do with how many gumdrops he snuck out of the bowl…I caught him green-mouthed in this shot!
Ta-da!
I wanted to hang it up, but when I picked it up and gumdrops started falling off, I decided it would make a much better candle ring.  Except that I didn’t have a suitable candle.  My trusty Jack Frost Yankee Candle was just a smidge too big {you can’t tell, but it’s not sitting all the way on the table}.
I considered stealing borrowing this one from our advent wreath, but it was waaay too tall!
At last, I found the perfect use for it…
If you’re new around here at One Artsy Mama, let me explain;
we are Christians who believe that understanding Jewish history and culture as well as celebrating some of the holidays helps us to better understand Jesus Himself.  So, in addition to Christmas and Easter crafts, you’ll also find posts about how we celebrate Hanukkah, Passover, Sukkot, and other Jewish holidays too.
During the 8 days of Hanukkah, we light the candles of the menorah to remember how God made one day’s supply of oil last eight days so that the temple could be rededicated after the Macabees reclaimed it from the Greeks.
We also eat yummy latkes, which are fried potato pancakes, and read a really fun book, The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming by Lemony Snicket.
And, of course, we craft.  To see how we made these Star of David ornaments, check out my guest post at Love Bug Living.
It’s fun having something to celebrate while we wait ever so impatiently for Christmas to come!  Just a few more days…it’s Christmas Eve-Eve-Eve!
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the wreath photos were taken earlier in the week when I was still deliberating whether or not to cut my hair.  Thanks for all the advice on Facebook…no regrets!

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6 Comments

  1. Amy, I’m so bummed. I ordered The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming book from the library because I too wanted to learn a bit with the fam. about Hanukkah. It was even on our family advent. I checked the library and it says it’s still in transit. Who knows when it will arrive? When you told me about the book initially, I ordered it that day!!! Can’t believe it but from what you’ve said, it sound like it will be worth the wait!

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